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Does Mom’s Vitamin D Affect Kids’ Muscle Development?Grip strength was greater in children born to mothers with top vitamin D levels We know vitamin D plays a role in children’s muscle development but not how early this connection begins. To investigate whether a pregnant woman’s vitamin D status is tied to her unborn child’s later muscle development, study authors collected and analyzed the following information from 678 mother and child pairs: Mom
Child
Accounting for these factors, grip strength was greater in children born to mothers with vitamin D levels in the top quarter of the group, compared with children born to mothers with vitamin D levels in the bottom quarter. Many of the women in the bottom group did not have vitamin D levels considered adequate to meet basic health needs of healthy people. (For bone and overall health, the National Institutes of Health defines adequate vitamin D blood levels as 50 to 125 nmol/L and inadequate as 30 to 50 nmol/L.) Aiming for healthy pregnancies and childrenWhile this study is observational, and therefore cannot prove cause and effect, it agrees with previous research suggesting vitamin D levels during pregnancy are important for healthy childhood muscle development. However, the study authors caution “Formal testing of this hypothesis in an interventional setting should be undertaken before the development of any clinical recommendations.” In other words, women should not start supplementing with higher doses of vitamin D during pregnancy based on this research. Use these tips to determine how best to meet your vitamin D needs during pregnancy:
(J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2014, 99:330–7) Suzanne Dixon, MPH, MS, RD, an author, speaker, and internationally recognized expert in chronic disease prevention, epidemiology, and nutrition, has taught medical, nursing, public health, and alternative medicine coursework. She has delivered over 150 invited lectures to health professionals and consumers and is the creator of a nutrition website acclaimed by the New York Times and Time magazine. Suzanne received her training in epidemiology and nutrition at the University of Michigan, School of Public Health at Ann Arbor. Copyright © 2024 TraceGains, Inc. All rights reserved. |